| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 6186242 |
Depth gauge for a vibratory plow |
February 13, 2001 |
| A depth gauge (30) is connected to a vibratory plow (10) for indicating the depth of a blade (13). The depth gauge (30) has a rod (31) pivotally connected to the housing (11). The rod (31) has a first end (31a), a second intermediate ground following portion (31b) and a second end (31c). |
| 6161637 |
Twin stick control system |
December 19, 2000 |
| A twin stick control system for a movable unit such as a ZRT vehicle includes two control sticks placed side-by-side. Each control stick controls the operation of at least one drive wheel on each side of the vehicle. The control sticks are movable from their neutral position in a fir |
| 6158082 |
Portable blower with blower tube noise reduction |
December 12, 2000 |
| The present invention provides for noise reduction during operation of a portable blower by reducing the noise or acoustic energy escaping from the housing outlet and blower tube. The noise reduction is achieved by placing sound absorbing material in the blower tube. The sound absorbing |
| 6109010 |
Mowing vehicle control system |
August 29, 2000 |
| A control system for a riding turf mower. The control system incorporates an interlock system capable of controlling the cutting operation of the mower when traveling in a reverse direction. In a preferred embodiment the present invention includes a riding lawn mower having a prime mover |
| 6105350 |
Multi-port hopper exhaust apparatus |
August 22, 2000 |
| A grass catcher assembly 10 includes a hopper 15 has as inlet 16a for receiving a stream of air and grass clippings and an outlet 16b for venting air. A manifold 30 is operatively connected to the hopper 15. The manifold has an entrance for receiving the vented air and an exit for ve |
| 6093051 |
Light fixture conductors and methods of assembly |
July 25, 2000 |
| A conductive element for a low voltage outdoor light fixture including a body having first and second ends; a wire piercing element proximate the first end of the body, the wire piercing element extending out of the wire support surface; a light bulb mount proximate the second end of the |
| 6092617 |
System for automatically slowing vehicle during turns |
July 25, 2000 |
| A slow in turn system for a vehicle comprises an accelerator linkage that is linked to the input lever of a variable speed transmission. The accelerator linkage includes first and second link arms that couple a foot pedal to a rotatable cam plate. The link arm that connects to the cam |
| 6089006 |
Grass catcher for lawn mower |
July 18, 2000 |
| A grass catcher for receiving air and grass clippings from a mower cutter deck includes an inlet for admitting air and clippings into the grass catcher, an outlet port for exhausting air out of the grass catcher, and at least two cylindrical, perforate air filters interposed between the |
| 6089005 |
Combined tow and pressure relief valve for a hydraulically self-propelled lawn mower |
July 18, 2000 |
| A combination tow and pressure relief valve for use in a hydraulic fluid circuit used in a hydraulically driven wide area lawn mower. The valve includes a cylindrical valve body having a hexagonal head. A slideable valve tip with a shank and a valve head has its shank slidably mounted |
| 6082083 |
Ground speed control system |
July 4, 2000 |
| A handle for an outdoor power equipment unit, such as a lawn mower, includes a control system for allowing the user to manually vary the ground speed of the mower provided by a self propel system. The control system includes a handle grip on the handle that slides up and down relativ |
| 6079433 |
Automatic soil moisture sensing and watering system |
June 27, 2000 |
| An automatic moisture sensing and watering system detects a moisture level within the soil. The automatic moisture sensing and watering system may be implemented in combination with a conventional automatic watering system to accurately control a moisture content of a plot of soil. Since |
| 6059541 |
Air inlet cover for portable blower/vacuum |
May 9, 2000 |
| An improved air inlet cover and impeller for a convertible electric blower/vacuum. The blower/vac includes an electric motor which drives an impeller. A plurality of blades located on the impeller define a frusto-conical surface of revolution. The air inlet cover includes an integral |
| 6056074 |
Mower with non-contact drive system interlock |
May 2, 2000 |
| Mower drive system interlocks and methods of interlocking mower drive systems with non-contact sensors are disclosed. The mowers may include two driven ground engaging means for supporting the mower above the ground; two drive systems for driving the driven ground engaging means, one of |
| 6052976 |
Trimmer shield for grass trimmer |
April 25, 2000 |
| A grass trimmer with a trimmer shield that can be manually assembled to the housing without the use of tools is disclosed. The trimmer shield can also preferably be disassembled from the housing by a consumer to allow for replacement of the trimmer shield. One preferred trimmer shield in |
| 6045059 |
Nozzle flush cap |
April 4, 2000 |
| A sprinkler having an output orifice through which water operatively flows, includes a flush cap adapted for movement relative to the output orifice from a free position wherein the cap is disengaged from the sprinkler, to a locked position wherein the cap is generally fixed to the sprin |
| 6039268 |
Arc marking system for sprinkler |
March 21, 2000 |
| An arc marking system is provided for a sprinkler that waters an arc, either a full circle arc or a part circle arc. The system includes a plurality of arc indicators provided on the top of the nozzle assembly. Each arc indicator is adjacent an arc indicia such that each arc indicator |
| 6038989 |
Turf injector with ground slitting knives |
March 21, 2000 |
| A turf injector includes a plurality of slitting knives followed by a plurality of nozzles for injecting chemicals into the ground. Each slitting knife is reversible to bring one of two longitudinally extending cutting edges into use, thereby extending the life of the knife. In addit |
| 6032441 |
Triplex trim mower with laterally adjustable cutting units |
March 7, 2000 |
| A triplex trim mower (100) including a vehicle (102) having two front drive wheels (104) and one rear steerable wheel (106). Mounted generally forward of the front wheels (104) are two reel-type cutting units (108a) laterally offset about the longitudinal axis (110) of the vehicle (102). |
| 6029907 |
Adjustable sprinkler nozzle |
February 29, 2000 |
| An improved sprinkler nozzle comprises a nozzle body having a nozzle received in a recessed seat provided in a peripheral wall of the nozzle body. The nozzle is formed with a plurality of nozzle ports formed by the radially outer ends of a plurality of vertically flexible nozzle tubes. |
| 6019295 |
Adjustable arc fixed spray sprinkler nozzle |
February 1, 2000 |
| A fixed spray sprinkler nozzle has adjustable arc coverage. The nozzle has a nozzle body with sideward facing water discharge slots including a bottom slot and a top slot. Flow blocking skirts control the open length of each of the slots. The bottom slot is fixed on the nozzle body, but |
| 6006390 |
Connecting mechanism for attaching a ground-engaging surface maintenance implement to a traction |
December 28, 1999 |
| The present invention relates to an improved mechanism (100) for attaching a ground-engaging surface maintenance implement, preferably a front-mounted rotary sweeper (300), to a traction vehicle (200). The mechanism includes a four-bar linkage (102) to "yaw" the implement from an ini |
| 6004154 |
Low voltage deck light |
December 21, 1999 |
| A light fixture includes a lamp contact supported by the fixture and a lamp electrically connected to the lamp contact. The light fixture also includes an electrical supply cable for delivering electrical power to the lamp contacts and lamp. The light fixture also includes a breakaway ca |
| 6003199 |
Air concentrator nozzle for portable blower |
December 21, 1999 |
| An improved air concentrator nozzle for creating an increased air exit velocity from an extension tube of a portable blower or blower/vacuum. The extension tube tapers from a larger, upstream end to a smaller, downstream end. The nozzle is inserted into the upstream end of the extension |
| 5983826 |
Fluid control valve having mechanical pressure indicator |
November 16, 1999 |
| A mechanical pressure gauge indicator for showing a position of a multi-turn non-rising water valve stem is disclosed. The mechanical pressure gauge indicator uses 180 degrees of turning motion to indicate various approximations of pressure downstream of the regulating valve. One hal |
| 5979013 |
Portable blower with noise reduction |
November 9, 1999 |
| The present invention provides for noise reduction during operation of a portable blower by reducing the noise or acoustic energy escaping from the inlet of the blower housing. The noise reduction is achieved in one respect by placing sound absorbing material in a plenum attached to the |
| 5956248 |
Irrigation controller with removable station modules |
September 21, 1999 |
| An irrigation controller includes a housing for enclosing a microprocessor that stores and executes at least one watering program. The microprocessor has a parallel output bus with a plurality of pin sets for controlling a plurality of irrigation stations. The connection between the cont |
| 5941384 |
Container for an article of hand-held power equipment |
August 24, 1999 |
| A display carton and motorized implement arrangement is disclosed. The display arrangement includes an operator carriable motorized implement and a display carton having display and access apertures. Ideally, in its packaged state within the display carton, the motorized implement is |
| 5934400 |
Cruise control system for a vehicle |
August 10, 1999 |
| A cruise control system for a vehicle comprises an accelerator linkage that is linked to the input lever of a variable speed transmission. The accelerator linkage is biased to neutral, but can be moved against the bias by an operator who pushes down on an accelerator. A cruise control |
| 5901536 |
Combined tow and pressure relief valve for a hydraulically self-propelled lawn mower |
May 11, 1999 |
| A combination tow and pressure relief valve for use in a hydraulic fluid circuit used in a hydraulically driven wide area lawn mower. The valve includes a cylindrical valve body having a hexagonal head. A slideable valve tip with a shank and a valve head has its shank slidably mounted |
| 5886840 |
Optical turf evaluation device and method of use |
March 23, 1999 |
| An evaluation tool for viewing local and remote irregularities in a turf surface. The tool includes a body structure having first and second turf engaging surfaces for supporting the body structure upon the turf surface in first and second inspection orientations. The tool further includ |
| 5875969 |
Sprinkler with self cleaning bowl |
March 2, 1999 |
| A sprinkler has an upwardly facing sprinkler bowl at the top of the sprinkler body in which water can collect during operation of the sprinkler when the riser of the sprinkler is popped up. At least one nozzle on the sprinkler comprises a siphon nozzle that has a siphon tube extendin |
| 5860715 |
Equipment enclosure |
January 19, 1999 |
| An enclosure for housing electronic controls and devices that provides exceptional access to all sides of the enclosure and is both secure and aesthetically pleasing. The enclosure has a frame, semi-cylindrical doors, a top assembly, and a mounting base. Each of the doors has a door |
| 5853026 |
Valve with downstream manual bleed |
December 29, 1998 |
| A valve for controlling the flow of a liquid includes a valve seat which is engaged by a selectively operable valve member. A pressure chamber above the valve member contains upstream pressurized fluid in the closed position of the valve. The valve is opened by bleeding off pressurized |
| 5850656 |
Highway debris entrainment and storage device |
December 22, 1998 |
| A refuse collection device (1) including a collector roller (11) and an inclined conveyor (27) which deposits collected debris into a hopper (127) along arcuate paths (128, 129), thereby filling the hopper (127) initially in the region adjacent to its rear wall (130). Mounted on the coll |
| 5785248 |
Rotary sprinkler drive assembly with filter screen |
July 28, 1998 |
| A gear drive assembly for a rotary sprinkler includes a drive housing in which a reduction gear train is enclosed. A turbine located beneath one end of the drive housing rotates the gear train through a turbine shaft that extends into the drive housing. An output shaft extends out of the |
| 5784868 |
Control system for outdoor power equipment |
July 28, 1998 |
| A control system for selectively actuating a component on an outdoor power equipment unit, such as a blade on a lawn mower, uses two separate and distinct operator actions to prevent inadvertent actuation. The control system includes a pivotal bail that must be pivoted from a first compo |
| 5779148 |
Pop-up sprinkler with pressure regulator |
July 14, 1998 |
| A pop-up sprinkler which includes a housing, a riser in the housing movable between an extended position in which the riser extends from the housing and a retracted position in which the riser is retracted from the extended position and a pressure regulator in the riser. The pressure reg |
| 5771669 |
Method and apparatus for mowing irregular turf areas |
June 30, 1998 |
| A rotary turf mower (32) suitable for mowing irregular turf areas including a cutting system (60) which includes a plurality of cutting units (102) which are movable over the ground and each carrying at least one cutting blade (114), and a coupler (140) including a span member (144) and |
| 5758827 |
Rotary sprinkler with intermittent motion |
June 2, 1998 |
| A rotary sprinkler having an intermittent motion mechanism which includes a driving gear and a driven gear with the driving and driven gears being drivingly engageable. The driven gear has a first set of gear teeth on one level and a second set of gear teeth on a second level. The gear t |
| 5749148 |
Filament trimmer head |
May 12, 1998 |
| A filament trimmer has an improved trimmer head. The trimmer head includes a spool having crush ribs on its core to prevent contraction of the filament line from warping or otherwise damaging the spool. A slot shaped exit aperture is provided in the head which can be opened up when the h |
| 5745947 |
Automatic debris retrieval system |
May 5, 1998 |
| A debris collection vehicle (1) having an offset cab (12) adjacent to a conveyor belt (61) which transports collected debris to a hopper (59). Rows of resilient fingers (51) are mounted on a collector drum (36), the conveyor (61) and on curb brushes (22, 24). The orientation of the c |
| 5744701 |
Electronic liquid leak detector |
April 28, 1998 |
| A leak detector apparatus 10 is disclosed which measures changes in fluid level in a tube 54 substantially located within a reservoir 29 of hydraulic fluid. The tube 54 has a first end which is open to the atmosphere and a second end which is submerged in the hydraulic fluid. The res |
| 5727372 |
On-board charging system for electric lawn mower |
March 17, 1998 |
| A self-contained apparatus for charging a battery on an electrically powered turf maintenance vehicle. The charger includes an AC to DC converter for accepting a source of AC power and providing a DC voltage, a sensor for measuring the voltage level of the battery, and a controller f |
| 5722593 |
Adjustable sprinkler nozzle |
March 3, 1998 |
| An improved sprinkler nozzle comprises a nozzle body having a nozzle received in a recessed seat provided in a peripheral wall of the nozzle body. The nozzle is formed with a plurality of nozzle ports formed by the radially outer ends of a plurality of vertically flexible nozzle tubes. |
| 5715664 |
All wheel hydraulic drive system |
February 10, 1998 |
| An improved hydraulic drive system is provided for a vehicle having a plurality of ground engaging wheels which are each individually driven by a hydraulic motor to provide all wheel drive. The ground engaging wheels include a first pair of such wheels at or adjacent a first end of the |
| 5711048 |
Portable blower/VAC |
January 27, 1998 |
| An improved convertible electric blower/vac. The blower/vac includes an improved air inlet cover with an adjustable choke member. The air inlet cover also includes a pressure ring for increasing the efficiency of the blower/vac impeller when the unit is operated in the blower mode. The |
| 5689852 |
Portable blower/vac |
November 25, 1997 |
| An improved convertible electric blower/vac. The blower/vac includes an improved air inlet cover with an adjustable choke member. The air inlet cover also includes a pressure ring for increasing the efficiency of the blower/vac impeller when the unit is operated in the blower mode. The |
| 5662545 |
Planetary gear drive assembly |
September 2, 1997 |
| A planetary gear drive assembly for a rotary sprinkler includes a drive housing in which a planetary gear train is enclosed. A turbine located beneath one end of the drive housing rotates the gear train through a turbine shaft that extends into the drive housing. An output shaft extends |
| 5657542 |
Filament trimmer head |
August 19, 1997 |
| A filament trimmer has an improved trimmer head. The trimmer head includes a spool having crush ribs on its core to prevent contraction of the filament line from warping or otherwise damaging the spool. A slot shaped exit aperture is provided in the head which can be opened up when the h |
| 5657224 |
Turf maintenance vehicle diagnostics and parameter condition logger |
August 12, 1997 |
| The present invention provides for a turf maintenance vehicle controller which includes data logger means to store the status of predetermined parameters. The invention further includes the ability to provide such data in real time to an inexpensive diagnostic apparatus and to store the |
